“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as1-2-3.
For future NYC Events be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Duchess55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S./ 6PM, no cover
Duchess is on the 3rd of it’s 4 night run celebrating their new CD, “Laughing at Life”, There will be special guests, there will be kazoos, there will be swinging #girlongirlharmony. Don’t miss it! I need to say it again. Don’t miss it!

Opening night’s crowd burst 55 Bar at the seams, and their special guest was Anat Cohen, one of America’s great clarinet players. Fantastic!

“Three fine singers—Melissa Stylianou, Amy Cervini, and Hilary Gardner—join together in swinging harmony to whip up music that traffics in delight. Referencing vocal icons from Peggy Lee to the Boswell Sisters, this fresh-voiced triumvirate plays it straight from the heart, leaving any trace of camp or postmodern irony at the door. They have played way more upscale places, but Duchess seems to shine best in this basement joint.” (NewYorker)

HARKNESS DANCE FESTIVAL (Feb. 24 through March 25)at the 92nd Street Y / 8PM, $25+, may have to wait list tonight’s performance
“This five-week festival celebrates its 23rd season with “Then, Now & Next,” a series highlighting several companies in classic and new works. New York Theater Ballet, a chamber group led by Diana Byer, who formed the group in 1978, is up first with the program “Legends and Visionaries,” scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. It spotlights two works by Martha Clarke, the pas de trois from “The Garden of Villandry” (1979) and “Nocturne” (1978), a portrait of an aging ballerina. The evening also includes three ballets by Antony Tudor: “Soirée Musicale” (1938), “Les Mains Gauches” (1951) and the pas de deux from “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” (1943). In keeping with the sensibilities of Mr. Tudor, a choreographer of supreme restraint, it’s subtle, not showy. And at 3 p.m. on Sunday, the festival dives into the world of George Balanchine with “Dance Talk: Patricia Wilde, George Balanchine and the Rise of New York City Ballet.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

DANIEL SLOSS(also Feb.25)at the SoHo Playhouse / 8PM, $30
“Mr. Sloss, a Scottish comedian who began performing stand-up as a teenager, has evolved over the last decade away from cheery, observational comedy and into darker, more confrontational material. His shows blend the narrative-heavy style of British performances with the punchiness of American stand-up, and there’s a pathos even in his raunchier bits. He’s currently on an international tour with his new show, “So?” (NYT- ELISE CZAJKOWSKI)

Kelly Burke: Love for SaleHuron Club, 17 Vandam St./ 5PM, $40“English singer-actor Burke makes her U.S. debut in a “cabaret-play” set in the 1930s, featuring songs by Kurt Weill and others. The winning Charlie Alterman costars as her pianist.” (TONY)

“Developed for London’s historic Wilton’s Music Hall, and following sell-out performances in London and Edinburgh, Love for Sale is a 1930’s cabaret celebrating the music of Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and their contemporaries. Featuring OffWestEnd Award nominee Kelly Burke and Broadway musical director Charlie Alterman (Pippin, Next to Normal).
“A heartfelt, stylish show – as intelligent as it is decadent” The List

The Music of Dexter Gordon: A Celebration(thru Feb.26)Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St./ 7:30PM, 9:30PM, $40
“Gordon enjoyed an unexpected late-career resurgence with his Oscar-nominated appearance in the 1986 film “Round Midnight,” but he first made his mark decades earlier, as the tenor saxophonist who best embodied Charlie Parker’s bebop message. Gordon’s music continued to evolve from there, with influential results, and this tribute will touch on various aspects of his illustrious catalogue, including work from his albums “Homecoming” and “Sophisticated Giant,” from the late nineteen-seventies. Leading the band—which includes the saxophonist Abraham Burton—on the first two nights will be Gordon’s confederate, the great hard-bop drummer Louis Hayes.” (NewYorker)

Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 12PM, $25
“Join Professor Edward Balleisen as he takes us on a journey through fraud in America — and the evolving efforts to combat it — from the age of P. T. Barnum through the eras of Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff.”

NEW YORK CITY BALLET(through Feb. 26)at NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $30+
“The company wraps up its winter season with one program paying homage to the choreographer Jerome Robbins and another, “Broadway to Ballet,” that celebrates Richard Rodgers. In the case of Robbins, the program is a glorious trifecta: “Glass Pieces,” set to Philip Glass’s energizing composition; “Moves,” a mesmerizing ballet performed to silence; and “The Concert,” his delightful comic ballet. The Rodgers program features Christopher Wheeldon’s sweeping “Carousel (a Dance),” a distillation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, as well as Peter Martins’s “Thou Swell.” To be frank, it’s less than swell. But stick it out for Balanchine’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” which was originally created for the 1936 Rodgers and Hart musical “On Your Toes.” It keeps you there, still.” (NYT-GIA KOURLAS)

Cyrus Chestnut Quartet(thru Feb.25)Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
“Chestnut’s piano has a tactile quality that assures you you’ve picked the right spot for the night. Mixing high spirits and soulful, deeply satisfying improvisation touched by gospel music and by the blues, Chestnut is a trusted stylist who has judiciously balanced mainstream and modernist leanings since he arrived on the scene, in the late nineteen-eighties. Here, he plays with the bassist Buster Williams and the drummer Lenny White, the same rhythm team that makes his recent album “Natural Essence” a treat; additional support comes in the form of the noteworthy vibraphonist Steve Nelson.” (NewYorker)

The Orchid Show(thru April 09)New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., the Bronx.
“This edition of the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show, now in its fifteenth year, focusses on Thailand’s rich history and the flower’s cultural status as one of the country’s leading exports. Held in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the display features blooming orchids by the hundreds in lush tropical environments, leading into an arched installment styled in the manner of a traditional Thai pavilion. The schedule includes several panel discussions, tours, and after-hours viewings with music and cocktails.” (NewYorker)

==================================================Bonus NYC Events – Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:

Special Mention:Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of 8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017. Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance at these top NYC events, even if just on day of performance.

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

A PremierPub / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que/ 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.

Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.

The blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long (assuming you snagged a table). The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.

Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some long waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.